


I Bring Death, You Bring Life, Together We Bring Nothing

by JustBeMe13



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Death, Family, Gift, Grim Reaper In The Flesh, Happy Ending, Life - Freeform, Life In The Flesh, Love, M/M, Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates, Nakama, Pirates, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred, Tears, Temporary Character Death, The Author Regrets Nothing, abilities, back from the dead, fears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27044581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustBeMe13/pseuds/JustBeMe13
Summary: Sanji possesses the touch of life, a gift from the gods. Zoro possesses such a gift as well, but nobody knows what it is. He wears gloves all the time, won't touch anybody and seems to be afraid of himself.Sanji finds out what the swordsman is hiding, but it costs him, and his friends, dearly.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 24
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to a conversation on discord, I remembered I had this fic, and finished it. 
> 
> I hope you all like it. It will be a two shot for I couldn't finish it in one. 
> 
> Author-chan

He doesn’t touch them.

It’s the first thing Sanji notices as he gets to life on the Going Merry. He has been here for a while now, and he’s never seen Roronoa Zoro touch any of them in that time. Zoro seems close with the others on the crew, especially Luffy, but he doesn’t touch any of them. He wears black gloves, all the time, even when he sleeps. Sanji’s slightly curious – a lot actually – about why he does that. He’s tried spying on Zoro, talking to him – which results in a fight most of the time – but nothing seems to help.

And Sanji’s becoming infuriated.

He has already touched everyone on the crew, and helped them with his ability when they seemed in need of it. Luffy had looked at him funnily when he first did it, but he only commented on the ‘sparkly mystery light’ and then no more. Sanji had found it scary at first, but when the crew got to know him a little more, he began to be more relaxed.

Now, he is standing watching as Zoro evades Chopper’s touch, telling him he’s fine over and over. The little reindeer doesn’t look convinced and latches on to Zoro’s bare arm, much to the swordsman’s apparent horror. Zoro pales instantly, and sits frozen for a good few seconds. Then a look of shock comes onto his face and Sanji narrows his eyes as Zoro stares at where Chopper is touching him.

“Something wrong? Does it hurt?” Chopper asks.

Zoro shakes his head, out of reflect, perhaps. Sanji can see that it doesn’t hurt, but the shocked look on Zoro’s face is new, and strange. Why is he looking like that when Chopper is only touching him. Does he not want to be touched? He keeps watching them as Chopper checks over Zoro and deems him alright after the battle just now. The little reindeer walks away with a smile, not seeing the strange expression on Zoro’s face. Sanji can see emotion flick through his eyes, but he can’t focus on any of them. He’s quite interested in this new development. Zoro’s never let anyone touch him, but with Chopper he had no choice.

Sanji turns back to the kitchen, passing Luffy a touch of his fingertips as he passes him. The captain looks lively instantly again, from his down day. Sanji smiles, it’s always great to keep the crew happy, alive. Well, he doesn’t actually give life, he just heals. He can’t extend a persons preset life time. He can only heal when they aren’t supposed to die yet. Perhaps, he thinks, Zoro has some sort of gift like that, too.

They’re rare, he knows, but it could be something like Sanji’s gift of Life. Perhaps Zoro has the same thing, only more evident? Or… No, it cannot be. Sanji grows suspicious instantly, and glares back at the infirmary door, where Zoro is just walking out. He still looks shocked, but a little less than before. He looks up at the cook, but there is nothing there that suggest he wants a fight. He just seems, surprised.

Sanji cannot blame him though. Whatever ability he has, it might be scaring the swordsman, even though he is strong and Sanji knows he will never fear anything, he might fear himself. Sanji understands, he feared himself when his ability came to life as well. He was so shocked to see Zeff’s unhealthy body regenerate so quickly after he had touched him. It had taken him weeks to understand what had happened to him.

“What are you staring at,” Sanji snaps, ripped from his thoughts as Zoro is still standing there, staring indeed.

Zoro snaps his jaw shut, turns on his heels and stalks out of the galley, the door slamming behind him roughly. It opens again as Nami walks in, looking a little tired.

“Are you alright, my darling?” Sanji asks, walking over to her and laying a hand on her shoulder.

He feels his gift flow into her, gently, slowly, sucking it out… of… him… Sanji lets go instantly, a gasp leaving his face. Nami frowns up at him through a yawn. Nami just… No, Sanji knows the feeling, he was just being paranoid. It always leaves his body when he touches someone, but he had been distracted and the feeling had reminded him off the past. He sighs heavily and takes a deep breath afterwards.

“Are you alright?” Nami asks, returning his question to him.

Her eyes are worried, but Sanji only smiles at her. He lays his hand on her shoulder again and sees the dark circles under her eyes disappear. She smiles at him, turns towards him and wraps her arms around him in a hug.

“Thanks,” she whispers, before letting go and wandering off.

Sanji smiles, but drops it when Nami is out of view. He will find out what is up with Zoro, no matter the cost.

**o-o-o**

Sanji still hasn’t found out after Skypia, and he isn’t terribly happy about it. Zoro is still avoiding everyone’s touch, even though he mingles. He wears gloves all the time, still flinches whenever Luffy jumps him, and never takes the damn gloves off! Not even when he sleeps!

Sanji is still confused. He has touched everyone about a million times already and he doesn’t understand why Zoro is so afraid. Hasn’t he gotten over his fear yet? Sanji doesn’t understand, he really doesn’t.

And maybe he never will.

**o-o-o**

Two years later and Sanji still doesn’t know. He has kept his gift to himself, though Iva has found out. Called it Life, saying that Sanji could give life to anyone who was in need of it, even himself. Sanji had frowned at that, but had accepted it.

Now, back at Sabaody, Sanji has no idea what to think when he sees Zoro. The swordsman, seemingly alright, is still wearing gloves, but has chosen for a more open style of clothing. Sanji wonders if that means Zoro is less afraid of himself now. He loathes to ask.

He meets the swordsman halfway, grumbling and fighting and insulting. Zoro smirks, calls him stupid names, and Sanji knows they are alright. And then they are off, into the New World.

“Why don’t you ever take them off?” he asks one night as they sit around a campfire with each a pint of beer.

Zoro freezes at his question and glares at him, but Sanji is genuinely curious and leans forward.

“Come on, tell me,” he presses.

Zoro leans away from him, sets his beer down. “You don’t need to know,” he snaps.

Sanji sees Zoro is about to leave, and grabs his arm roughly, yanking him back down. Zoro grunts, but doesn’t try to pull away.

“I know you have an ability, what is it?” Sanji demands.

Zoro’s eyes widen and he searches Sanji’s face for a moment. Looking for something, but not finding it.

“You have one?” he squeaks.

Sanji is taken aback. Of course he has an ability, why wouldn’t he? A lot of people have one. But not as significant as his! He wonders what Zoro knows and he nods at the swordsman. Zoro heaves a sigh and takes his arms back from Sanji.

“My ability is dangerous,” he mumbles, stroking his thumb over his hand.

Sanji rolls his eyes, he’d gathered that already. “Yes, I can see. You never take off the damn gloves so your hands must be the trigger. But what does it do?” he asks.

Zoro glares at him and stands. “It kills, Sanji,” he growls and promptly disappears into the forest behind them.

Sanji growls low in his throat and shoots upwards. He ignores the calls of his friends and runs after Zoro. The brush is thick, but the swordsman’s path is obvious. Destruction and mangled trees steer Sanji into the right direction. 

Sanji finds Zoro quiet easily, sitting on a log and staring off into the distance. His gloves are gone, but he isn’t touching anything, clenching his hands together. Sanji walks towards him, sighing heavily. Zoro tenses, but doesn’t look at him.

“My ability brings life,” Sanji mumbles.

Zoro looks at him from the corner of his one good eye and then looks away.

“If I touch a person, I regenerate their health and if they are sick, I heal them.”

Zoro huffed out a laugh. “Good for you,” he said, wringing his hands together.

“What about yours, Zoro?” Sanji asks, sitting down on the log beside Zoro.

“I already told you, mine kills.”

Sanji frowns. “That doesn’t really make any sense. Explain,” he says.

Zoro sighs heavily and stands. “Get off,” he demands, and Sanji stands from the log.

Zoro lays his hand on it, and Sanji’s eyes widen as the log disintegrates into dust. He gapes for a moment, and then turns to Zoro, full of disbelief. The swordsman looks pained, and Sanji can understand where that’s coming from. Zoro cannot touch anyone, doesn’t know the warmth of another skin under his fingers. Sanji suddenly feels very selfish for wanting to know Zoro’s gift. If you can call it a gift.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

Zoro doesn’t look at him, picks up his gloves from where they lay in the grass, and takes off back towards the campfire. Sanji doesn’t know what to think, so he doesn’t, and silently follows Zoro back to camp.

**o-o-o**

They accidentally touch.

Zoro’s gloves have been burned off and Sanji stumbles into him in the middle of battle. Zoro’s hands steady him unthinkingly.

Everything freezes. Zoro’s breath wooshes out of him and Sanji feels cold creep up his spine. He catches Zoro’s eyes and sees the absolute terror behind them. Before either of them can react, Sanji’s eyes slip closed and he falls limply in Zoro’s hold.

The swordsman releases a cry of agony and shock that alarms the rest of the crew. Luffy’s haki sweeps over the battle field and all enemies fall. The crew immediately makes their way over to Zoro, crowding around him and reaching for him.

“DON’T TOUCH ME!” Zoro roars.

Nami shrieks and stumbles into Usopp and Chopper, falling back on their asses in shock. Luffy is the only one who doesn’t back up and his eyes are hard and cold.

“I-“ Zoro stutters.

He releases Sanji’s limp body and stands, taking a few hesitant steps backwards.

“I didn’t- But- I didn’t mean to touch him,“ he utters, a look of shock on his face.

It seems Luffy is the only one who understands, for his look goes darker and he growls.

“Zoro, you killed him,” he snarls.

Zoro’s wide eyes slide to Luffy and the straw hat can see his swordsman swallow hard. The green haired man has a defeated look on his face, and he looks down on his hands.

“What happened?” Nami stutters, crawling towards Sanji’s body.

Chopper shoots forward at that and takes Sanji’s wrist in his hoof, looking for a pulse. The crew falls silent, watching, waiting. Zoro is breathing heavily on the side, panicky breaths escaping his mouth and his eyes widening further and further.

“I killed him, I killed him, I killed him,” is a mantra he is repeating, much to the shock of his fellow pirates.

“He doesn’t have a pulse,” Chopper’s soft words break the silence and Zoro’s breaths speed up even more.

He sways on his feet, but nobody dares to help him. He crashes down on his knees and stares at the dust in front of him, hands planted into the grass. The green forest ground around them wilts at his touch and Robin gasps loudly. The swordsman doesn’t care, but he does cringe at the sound.

“I killed him,” Zoro hoarsely whispers, eyes wide, but seeing nothing.

Silence covers the field for a few minutes. Everybody thinks their own thoughts, but there is to much shock for tears to be spilled. Rain begins to softly patter down on their bodies and Chopper releases a sudden shocked sound that startles everyone back into action.

“What?” Nami demands, anger behind her voice, as well as grief.

“He- He has a pulse!” Chopper all but cries.

Sanji’s body jerks and he begins to cough, hands coming to claw at his throat. Luffy jumps into action and heaves the cook up, letting Sanji cough for a while. The blond man opens his eyes, blearily looks at his friends and smirks.

“Sorry, not dying today,” he croaks. 

Nami cries out, flings herself at the cook and hugs him tightly. Luffy grins from under his hat. Brook laughs quietly and Franky grins from the side. Usopp is staring with wide eyes, as is Chopper. Robin has a small smile on her face.

Nobody notices the empty spot where Zoro had sat minutes before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is ridiculously short, sorry for that. I have zero time today. I'll try to write Sunday, but I can't promise anything. I hope you all enjoy either way. 
> 
> Author-chan

Sanji is the first to notice. He stills as the others check him over and hug him tightly. Luffy sees it first, and pulls away from the hug to frown at his cook.

“Where’d Zoro go?” Sanji asks, eyes filled with innocent curiosity.

Luffy’s eyes widen and he whips his head around, only to see an empty spot instead of his first mate. A shocked noise escapes his lips and now the others are noticing, too.

“Where did he go?” Nami wonders, wiping water from her cheeks.

The rain is still pouring down on them, not as hard as before, but it still distorts their vision of the woods around them. Luffy stands from his knelt spot on the grassy ground and frowns.

“He left,” he whispers, voice full of shock.

“Luffy,” Sanji growls. “What did you do?”

Luffy looks at Sanji with a glare. “He killed you, I haven’t done anything, yet,” he snaps.

Sanji glares right back and climbs to his feet, ripping his arm free from Usopp’s grasp. He stalks to his captain and full on punches him in the face. Sanji hears Nami gasp, his knuckles are on fire, but he doesn’t care.

Luffy doesn’t know what the fuck happened and he’ll punish Zoro for something the swordsman didn’t mean to do!

Luffy flies back from the punch, blood spurting from his nose as he crashes into a tree. He lays there for a second, shocked that Sanji punched him instead of kicked him. Sanji’s chest is heaving up and down with heavy breaths and he can only see red.

“You don’t even know what happened!” he shouts.

Behind him, the crew is looking shocked. Sanji used his hands – his _hands!_ – to punch Luffy! He punched the captain, like he meant it. Nami reaches out for Sanji, her name on his lips, but Usopp pulls her back. And rightly so, because Sanji does not have the time to deal with them.

“Do you even know how he feels! He thinks I’m still dead thanks to his fucked up gift!” Sanji rants, pacing back and forth. “I can’t believe you guys never noticed before,” he whispers.

“Noticed what?” Chopper whispers, eyes wide and fearful.

Sanji whips around to look at them, sees their terrified states and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes and lifts his hands. When he opens them again, light is flowing from his hands all around them, bright golden strands of stardust float around in the air and weave between their bodies.

“This,” Sanji says. “You all know I have a gift. It’s called Life, and Zoro has one as well.”

Luffy climbs out of the tree he crashed in and comes to stand by his crew as Sanji talks. He seems, confused, but also intrigued.

“Zoro told me what his gift was, but it’s more like a curse. Haven’t you ever wondered why he doesn’t touch any of us? Why he always wears gloves?” Sanji asks.

Nobody speaks up, nobody dares. Sanji sighs.

“His gift kills. If he touches anything with his hands it will die. I died, but because of my gift, I was revived. My gift saved me, but Zoro doesn’t know, does he?” Sanji asks, eyes going wide as he realizes what Zoro is thinking.

“Oh my God,” he whispers.

Luffy’s eyes widen as well and he freezes in shock.

“What?” Nami asks, fearfully looking between the two strong fighters.

“He’s gonna kill himself,” Sanji whispers.

Nami’s face goes paper white in an instant. “What?” she cries. “Why?”

Sanji shakes himself and growls. He spins on his heels and takes off into the forest without answering Nami’s question. He needs to find Zoro, fast. If the idiot really thinks he killed one of his own crew, he could seriously be attempting to take his own life. Zoro is loyal to a fault, he is strong, he is kind, he is an idiot, yes all of that. But he is also family, nakama. He thinks he killed one of his own, and that is a grave error in his books.

Sanji breaks into a sprint and follows an invisible trail. He has to find Zoro, no matter what. He can’t lose him! Sanji’s brain halts while he keeps running. What does Zoro mean to him? He is nakama, that’s obvious, but what else. Sanji has tried to be closer to him, only for knowing what his gift was, but somewhere in between the lines, something else had begun to bubble up inside of him.

He hates Zoro, yes, but he also loves him.

How did that happen?

Sanji shakes himself from his thoughts just in time to shout in surprise as he trips over a log and topples over. He tumbles through the brush and feels his shirt rip. He grunts as he slides to a stop, panting from surprise and exertion. He lays there for a moment, listening to the rain pelting down and the otherwise silent forest.

Where is Zoro?

Where in this godforsaken forest is his crewmate and friend?

Will he find Zoro before the swordsman does something crazy?

Probably just in time…


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Christa, who likes the story, and everyone else who commented. I'm so glad you all enjoy it!
> 
> I know it's short, sorry about that. Holiday is almost here, so maybe more time, but there's a lot of school deadlines coming and it's making me nervous. Also, there are about a bazillion more stories stored on my laptop that need to be written and completed as well. 
> 
> Anway, enjoy this chapter. Next will be some Luffy wisdom and fluff of course.
> 
> Author-chan

Sanji finds him by the side of the water, staring at the naked edge of Wado Ichimonji. His eyes, grey and somber, are fixated on a point on the Katana. Sanji does not know what he is seeing. One of Zoro’s arms is outstretched and he looks about ready to cut it off. Sanji carefully walks to him and around him, making sure Zoro can see him.

Zoro’s eyes slide to him after a few seconds and Sanji can hear his breath hitch. The sword drops onto the grass uselessly, nicking Zoro’s outstretched arm and making him bleed. Sanji reaches out, Zoro flinches back and his eyes close tightly, but Sanji’s hand lands safely on the cut and it heels under his palm. He doesn’t die.

It seems their gifts are fixated in their hands, after all.

Sanji smiles slowly and kneels down into the grass, Zoro’s eyes open and lock with his. Sanji can see hopelessness and pain in those eyes of his. He feels a little pain himself, knowing the person he loves feels like shit.

“You’re alive,” Zoro croaks, voice quiet and almost inaudible through the rain.

Sanji nods once. “Yes,” he says.

Zoro looks away from him, his hands are fidgeting. Sanji looks in amusement as they lift towards him, before Zoro clamps them down in his lap.

“Zoro,” Sanji says.

Zoro looks back at him and watches him with desperation. “I didn’t mean to!” he blurts. “I just, I didn’t know it was you and then I touched you and… I just felt like utter shit and then Luffy was all mad and now I don’t know what to do. I really want to kiss you right now but if I touch you you’ll die…”

Zoro’s rambling is stopped as Sanji leans in and presses a tender kiss to the swordsman’s lips. Zoro practically melts into it and his whole body releases tension. Sanji feels tears mix with the rain and he scoots forward, wrapping his arms around Zoro’s body and pulling him in. The kiss breaks, but Sanji doesn’t let go. Zoro buries his face in Sanji’s shoulder, keeping his hands well away, and cries.

His shoulders quake and Sanji squeezes him a little tighter, buries his face in Zoro’s shoulder in return. Zoro’s silent sobs quiet after a moment and he heaves a sigh, pulling away from Sanji. He still looks like utter shit, but he has a little more color in his cheeks than before.

Sanji lifts a hand and wipes Zoro’s hair from his face, brushing over his cheek gently.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Sanji says.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” Zoro whispers.

Sanji smiles and cocks his head to the side. “Don’t be an idiot next time, you can’t kill me with your gift. You should have known,” he says.

Zoro looks away from him. “You were dead, Sanji.”

Sanji sighs. Zoro has a point. He was dead for a short while. His powers still had to activate and revive him, so it took a while.

“I understand what you feel. I thought you were going to kill yourself because you killed me,” Sanji mumbles.

Zoro looks at him from the corner of his eyes. “I was,” he states.

Sanji’s eyes bug out of his head. “Why would you do that!” he shouts and jumps to stand, planting a foot on Zoro’s head in anger. “What about your dream, you numbskull! There’s about a bazillion people you still have to beat before becoming the worlds greatest!”

Zoro keeps sitting in the grass, but Sanji can feel the tension in his body rise.

“I…” he begins, then stops.

Zoro heaves a sigh and drops his head, letting the weight of Sanji’s heel press his face into his chest. Sanji takes his foot of and crouches on the floor, lifting Zoro’s face with his fingers.

“I didn’t want to live in a world where you weren’t in it,” the swordsman whispers, still looking away.

Sanji smiles. It seems the affection has been growing both ways. But he’d already guessed so.

“I wouldn’t want to live in a world without you, either,” Sanji tells him.

Zoro smiles slowly, and Sanji smiles back.

“What do we do now?” Zoro asks.

Sanji sits back on his ass and sighs. “I guess we go find the others,” he says.

Zoro nods silently.

**o-o-o**

They meet up with the crew on Sunny. Zoro doesn’t look at anyone and locks himself into the bathroom, steam coming from beneath the door. Sanji greets the others by making dinner and explaining to them what happened. He also beats up Luffy for being mad at Zoro when the other was clearly distressed.

Luffy apologizes extremely quickly.

Sanji rewards him with meat stew.

After dinner, to which Zoro didn’t show up, Sanji goes up to the bathroom and asks Nami to pick the lock. That done, he slips into the bathroom, locks it again and turns to face Zoro. Sanji raises a brow as he sees the man with his head on the tiles, body in the tub and arms lying uselessly beside him.

“You dead?” Sanji pipes up.

Zoro flinches, but doesn’t answer verbally. He just shrugs his shoulders and sighs heavily. Sanji rolls his eyes and strips, showering quickly and dropping into the tub beside Zoro. He trails a hand down Zoro’s flawless back and the swordsman shudders.

Zoro’s head lifts and he glares. “What?” he snaps.

Sanji raises his brow and smirks. “Nothing,” he answers.

Zoro glares some more, before turning back and smacking his head into the tiles again. Sanji rolls his eyes and relaxes a little and presses a finger into Zoro’s back, the muscle giving way as the swordsman groans deeply. Sanji smirks, but it fades quickly as the scene from earlier plays in his head.

“You were going to use Wado,” he whispers, pressing down harder with his whole hand.

Zoro obviously wants to tense up, but Sanji won’t let him and the swordsman sighs in defeat. “I was,” he says.

“Why? Couldn’t you have used your gift?” Sanji asks, continuing his sudden massage.

“I can’t, if I would have been able to kill myself I can’t even touch my own skin. That doesn’t work, so I can’t kill myself with my gift. Same as you can’t really bring life to anyone who is already dead except for yourself. My gift only allows me to suck up the life of another and force it into my own body. My gift doesn’t allow me to die by it’s hand.”

Sanji is silent as Zoro explains this, trialing his hands further down and pressing into the muscle of Zoro’s lower back. The swordsman groans deliciously and sags deeper into the water, hands twitching on the tiles and well away from Sanji.

“I wish it didn’t,” Sanji says.

“What?” Zoro asks, looking over his shoulder.

“I wish it didn’t cause you to kill. You can’t touch anyone, you don’t know the warmth of another’s body and you can never hold a person you love. I don’t think I’d be able to live like that,” he says quietly.

Zoro says nothing for a moment, but then he sighs and turns around, hands still on the tile.

“I can touch, and I can feel warmth. If I wear gloves it’s always safe, and now I know that the rest of my body does not contain this accursed gift, so I can let the others touch me as well.”

There’s a bright smile on Zoro’s face and Sanji grins at him, leaning in and pecking him on the lips. Zoro follows him as he pulls back, hands plastered to the side of the tub as his lips find Sanji’s. They exchange soft pecks and chaste kisses for a while, and then a knock on the door interrupt their quiet.

“Yeah?” Sanji asks, then immediately kisses Zoro again.

The swordsman blushes, but he knows the door is locked, so he doesn’t really mind.

“Can I talk with Zoro?” Luffy’s voice is quiet, and for once sincere.

Sanji smiles and kisses Zoro’s cheek, standing from the tub to grab his towel. “Give us a minute, will you?” he says and Luffy grumbles something before his sandals slap away. 

Zoro rolls his eyes and climbs out of the tub as well, just in time to catch the towel flung at his face. He yelps, stumbled and falls back into the tub, towel and all.

Sanji bursts out laughing and Zoro shoots him a glare as he comes back up, flinging the wet towel at Sanji’s head. It wraps around the blond and Sanji falls on his ass, a surprised shout leaving him. He tears the towel off and laughs so loud his cheeks hurt.

Zoro can’t help the chuckle that escapes his mouth no matter how hard he might have tried.


End file.
